Emergency Dollhouse

In the same weeks as Dark Mofo, Hobart 2023. The EMERGENCY DOLLHOUSE is the main event in DARK FRINGE:  Line Up — DARK FRINGE

A 200-year-old Georgian building and its basement in the heart of Hobart transforms into a multi-level, surreal dollhouse experience that extends over 17 nights.

*If you're in Hobart for Dark Mofo then the Emergency Dollhouse is not to be missed.*

Enter an immersive "world design" that begins in triage and then goes next level. 

1 hour 

4 levels

Many stairs

More emotions

Extensive basements

A journey through the absurd, the grotesque, the beautiful and the sublime, exploring female archetypes with twists and turns.

Artist statements are in the venue and the Emergency Bar.

With Sabio as the Holy Mother the dollhouse swings from comedy to tragedy while the dollhouse women revolt against their predicament.

The EMERGENCY DOLLHOUSE opens every evening, 6-10pm from 9-25 June across 17 days in the centre of Hobart. It occupies four levels and 800 m2 of a large, astounding Georgian building - with a multi-roomed sandstone basement. (Note: Fri 9th June is a preview night and has a separate Humanitix ticketing site for technical reasons.)

You're able to select a journey timeslot on each day from 6-7 pm, 7-8pm, 8-9pm or 9-10pm. In general, the experience will take one hour.

Choose your night and your hour to be captured by the unpredictable dollhouse, its occupants and profound female archetypes.

EARLY BIRD discount tickets available until sold out.

MAIN SEASON Sat 10th to Sun 25th June

Dolly’s agenda won’t be clear to begin with, but she’s wanting to convert you.

From the moment you enter triage you'll be captured and absorbed.  You can't just be a voyeur.  You must be a participant in the life-size dollhouse with its occupants and emergencies. 

"The world makes madwomen. The least you can do is be truly exposed."

Created and produced by Sabio & Male. The event will feature performers from Sydney to Hobart, some with national exposure and both national & international awards, who will be revealed by 8th June.

1 hr of immersion
4 very different phases in the journey
800m2 of levels & basements

The greatest darkness can often be concealed by an astonishing colour palette of pinks, reds and gold.

Demolishing borders between the uncanny and fabulism, off-kilter contemporary and gothic darkness, the grotesque and the sanitised, this world premiere of the Emergency Dollhouse was designed specifically for the building and its temporary availability.

With style, rage & humour two of the most profound feminine archetypes will confront you and each other.  In an electric and provocative debut to Dark Fringe, Sabio & Male shape a startling experience that maps a world taken over by masquerades, hidden agendas, and the characters of two women torn asunder by their extraordinary circumstances; Dolly and the Holy Mother.

Sabio & Male have created and crafted the world design, character profiles and audience experience design for the highly original Emergency Dollhouse.  

The design artist Sabio, has created award-winning costumes, sets and work that has appeared in the Sydney Opera House and many other venues. Sabio has also been commissioned for Marina Abramovic exhibitions and for film & TV projects such as The Nightingale, The Kettering Incident, Rosehaven and many other productions. David Male has received directing awards in New York and national digital awards in Australia. 

Over the course of the project's development, since January 2022, Sabio was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer.  Through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment Sabio has created astounding work for the Emergency Dollhouse.  $5 from each full price general admission ticket is being donated to the Menzies Medical Research Centre relating to a particular area of breast cancer designated by Sabio.

More than an escape room. More than traditional theatre. More real than any bad dream or virtual reality world could possibly be. You'll be triaged like in a hospital, and then your journey truly begins.

Approx 100 people each hour are able to travel through the Dollhouse each night, for 17 nights, from 9-25 June.

Please note the venue is a 200-year-old building that is safe however it has no working lifts, only stairs to the upper floors and down to the basement. Visitors need to negotiate 3 flights of stairs.

Further details, images and background info on the Emergency Dollhouse can be found on Instagram @emergency_dollhouse or on Facebook "Emergency Dollhouse".

Preview night tix can be found here:  
https://events.humanitix.com/emergency-dollhouse-preview-night

Important Note: The Emergency Dollhouse production is an Indie event without the support of government funding or Dark Mofo or MONA production funding.  It's an artist initiative that reflects the true international-level quality and depth of talent that lies within Tasmania, Lutruwita and the Australian arts community.

Beyond the project's independent and not-for-profit status (where the project goal is to break even) the project is supporting a very good cause, research into breast cancer treatment that explores methods beyond prescribed hormones. This preference of donation is to save lives and deliver a quality of life for a disease that reaches approx 50% of our population. 

The Emergency Dollhouse is brought to you by Sabio & Male, co-creators and producers.

"17 Days in a state of emergency."